| Engineering Journal 7.3.2: Configurable RIP and SAP update timers and packet sizes NetWare clients and servers rely on RIP and SAP update messages, both of which occur every 60 seconds by default, to transmit routing information and to provide current information on available network services. Once each minute, RIP and SAP update timers trigger broadcast packets to inform the network of changes in the internal tables of a particular device. These update packets can wreak havoc on network performance, however, particularly in the case of large, continually changing networks with relatively slow backbones. Cisco IOS software supports configurable RIP and SAP update timers on a per-interface basis. By appropriately configuring the RIP and SAP update timers, network administrators can control the amount of traffic introduced to the network by RIP and SAP, thereby saving precious bandwidth. Cisco IOS software also allows the size of the RIP and SAP packets to be increased (up to the MTU of the underlying network). By increasing the size of the RIP and SAP packets, the overall number of update packets can be reduced, making more efficient use of available bandwidth.